George Divoky

Website: http://www.cooperisland.org

http://blogs.discovery.com/cooper-island/

Member Since: April 2009

Type of Member: Regular

In 1975 George started going to the northern end of the Americas to study black guillemots, an arctic seabird.  The study initially began after discovering some of their nests on Cooper Island which was a rare setting for these cavity nesters.  Excited by the find, he began spending his summers studying the birds with a focus on their breeding.  As the study continued over the years it became apparent that the habits of the birds were changing and this was happening as a result of climate change.  What used to be 200 fledglings a year is dwindling to single digits as food becomes scarce and other animals move onto Cooper looking for food and impacting guillemot eggs and chicks.  The black guillemot population is hurt most by either becoming dinner for polar bears, or getting pushed aside by encroaching puffins.  George shakes his head, “The birds are trying to raise their young.  They did it in the past, the climate is changing, and now they can’t.”  Sadly, these seabirds have become a clear indicator of climate change and as it gets worse for them, “things are getting worse and worse globally”.

George’s summers are spent tallying, weighing and compiling other necessary data.  When he returns to Seattle he comes back to us at Office Nomads where he analyzes the data, does outreach regarding climate change and works to acquire funding for his research and NGO.  After being alone for 3 months, a home office with nobody else around is incredibly unappealing.  He finds calm when surrounded by other people.  “An extended period of isolation does not give you mental peace,” George said. “It makes you uncomfortable.”  At Office Nomads George has the opportunity to be part of the constantly buzzing community here and find the inner calm he misses on the island.

George can easily snag the title of “Coolest Nomad”.  His stories of island life and of his work are rather fascinating, so much so that Darcy Frey wrote a cover story in New York Times Magazine about him.  David Letterman found him just as awesome and had George on his show to talk.  And anyone who can recommend headphones and at the same talk about chasing off polar bears with a shot gun is cooler than just about everyone else in the room.

It seems to be a hot week for community input here in Seattle.  Throughout the week, we’ve seen community input being gathered at venues such as design review sessions on Capitol Hill, the open-source transition process for Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn, and even here at Office Nomads with Tuesday’s “State of the Nomads” meeting.

What each of these opportunities provides is a chance for members of a community to weigh in and help guide the direction of the community they are a part of.  As opposed to more traditional business models which try to anticipate the needs or desires of a market, community input enables a business, a nonprofit, a governmental body, or any other organization to truly map their offerings to what the community desires.

This was the second time we held a State of the Nomads gathering at Office Nomads, and it was another success for our community.  Members had a chance to hear how Office Nomads was doing as a business, what initiatives we were currently working on, and then weigh in their opinions and concerns on all aspects of Nomadic life.  This is a critical aspect to how we want Office Nomads to continue growing and thriving – with the community instead of in front of it.

Community input is more than just watching activity on a blog or a Facebook page.  It requires time.  Patience.  Solid listening skills. It is, as Tara Hunt would say, about turning the bullhorn around.  Community input is the cornerstone of building anything that is meant to serve a community need.  Whether for a building, a service, or an entire government office, community input allows for the voices of the community to be heard.  But as Steve, one of our Office Nomads members said at State of the Nomads, “you have to participate in what is made available to you.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Steve.

So get out there in your community and start letting your voice be heard.  You might be surprised at how receptive those your speaking to are to your needs.

(Thanks to Flickr User Audin for providing this photo “Holy Feedback!” as part of the Creative Commons license.)

Susan Cope Evans

Website: http://www.officenomads.com

Member Since: The Start of Time

Type of Member: She wears the pants.

Tacked up to the wall by the phone booth, there are two large pieces of paper covered pen and pencils scribbles.  Together the smattering of sentences and half thoughts are the foundations of Office Nomads.  The headings are “Who We Are”, “What We Do”, and “What We Stand For”.  Susan and Jacob put that together over two years ago and, following our 2^nd Birthday Party, it’s still there and ringing true.

Susan spends her days at Office Nomads encouraging the space to grow into what she and Jacob had hoped it could become. Sitting there, she enjoys watching how ideas tossed out by members then get feedback from others, including diverse points of view from an urban planner, a couple of web designers, a publisher and others.  “The way we view things is very different, unique.  I don’t think I knew how powerful that could be or how rewarding.”

She set out to create a “platform on which a coworking community could grow” and can’t believe how well it has taken off, especially in the personal relationships people have grown.  “I hoped we would all get along and members would like each other.  I didn’t expect them to go to each other’s weddings and help each other move. “

“It just knocks me over sometimes,” Susan admits. “Holy crap! It’s buzzing way more than it used to.  [The atmosphere] has gotten warmer.”  From here she has her sights set on encouraging other coworking spaces in Seattle. She wants to help them get off the ground and be a support system for whomever is creating a new collaborative space, be it offices, kitchens, workshops, etc.  “I want to see more of these spaces around the city.  They are vital to urban sustainability, as far as I’m concerned.”

Robyn Welch

Website: http://www.burgis.com/

Member Since: August 2008

Type of Member: Resident

When Robyn moved to Seattle a year and a half ago, she was trying to get a handle on the whole telecommuting thing.  She had moved from New York where she had worked for four years as an urban planner with Burgis Associates.  She had thought that the move across the country would be an end to that but Burgis loved her so much that they wanted her to try telecommuting for the New Jersey-based business.  As luck would have it, she saw a sign pointing her towards Office Nomads and has not left us since.

As an urban planner, Robyn works with private firms and municipalities that are too small to have their own department for planning.  “Basically, we write master plans and development ordinances to implement the plans.”  Projects include affordable housing, open spaces, historic preservation plans, and much more.  Her projects have been known to keep her here until 11:30 PM, which is what prompted her to become a resident here at Office Nomads.

Robyn is a great, positive addition in the space.  When not working, she is usually laughing with one of the other folks sitting near her. “I was so isolated when I never left the house.  I come here and everyone is great.  I’ve made great friends.  Office Nomads has given me a good social network,” she says with a smile.  It also gives her the opportunity to live vicariously through the pet owners in the space.  With Cortez the Killer across the way and fellow nomadic pooches Chuey and Sadie taking turns sitting to her left, Robyn gets a regular quota of quality dog time. Whether it’s the people or the dogs keeping her here, Office Nomads is incredibly lucky to have Robyn on board – not only does her laughter light up the space, but her welcoming attitude has made others feel at home here on their first days as Nomads.

Justin Bell

Website: http://www.new-edge.com/

Member Since: January 2009

Type of Member: Resident

Justin has a fantastic business card.  It opens up and has a great, clean design to it.  The one thing, though, is that there is no title with his name.  “There are no titles for a reason,” he says, “My job title depends on what day it is.”

Justin works for New Edge + The Brewery in marketing strategy.  Some days he is a strategist or a project manager, other days maybe a client director.  Justin’s work has him working with mostly Fortune 500 companies who are seeking some help.  “They come to us and say, ‘We know innovation needs to be a focus but we don’t know where to focus our innovation strategy’ or ‘We have this technology or opportunity and we need to find a market for it.’”

Justin had a big suite in Bellevue where there were multiple conference rooms and offices, just no other people there but himself. When New Edge + The Brewery realized they no longer needed a suite for their one-man Seattle operation, Justin was left looking for an office space where he could complete his projects when a friend pointed him in the direction of Office Nomads.  Now he loves it.  “A stuffy office with no interaction is very one-dimensional,” he said.  “The physical space here gives me figurative freedom.”

He is a constant fixture in Office Nomads as the Seattle office of New Edge + The Brewery, adding to the Richland, WA-based business which also has a London office.  When he leaves us in the evening, he goes home to relish in the life as a new dad. His ride back to ON in the mornings is a pretty awesome Discovery Channel Team Trek.  He is probably the most active Nomad with multiple triathlons and two Ironmen under his belt.  We all mention 5Ks we are thinking of doing, while he has his sights set on a Half Ironman in the spring.  Go Justin!

Exciting times here at Office Nomads!  After two years of being open (hooray!), Jacob and I are excited to announce that we have two kickin’ new employees at the office: Eric Von Blon, master of operations, and Alexandra Kruse, community cultivator extraordinaire.

Eric has been at Office Nomads since Day 1.  There are about a million stories we could tell about Eric’s time here, but perhaps the most poignant was the day he lost his job.  At about 4:45 on a Friday at the end of a month, he got the dreaded phone call.  His full-time telecommuting job that enabled him to work at Office Nomads was no longer.  No two week notice, no exit plan, just no more job.  Eric looked up from his desk and shared the news with the other Nomads.  Their response?  Drop their work, head out the door with Eric and get some much-needed beers.  Since then, the community has pitched in and provided Eric with enough part-time work to keep him at the office.  This is the power of community.  Eric has now happily stepped up to be the Office Manager at ON, with responsibilities including opening the space, keeping us stocked on supplies, updating member info, and helping us out with critical infrastructure issues.  Not only is Eric reliable, creative, and energetic as a worker, he’s a boatload of fun to be around, which makes him a great fit for the space. WIN!

Alexandra has been a longtime friend of Office Nomads, coming to many open houses and other events in the space.  Alexandra is a community-builder.  She can’t help it.  In her past work, she strengthened key programs at high schools, tutored math, and hosted after-school events to encourage student and parent engagement.  Alexandra took on the challenge of becoming Office Nomads’ first-ever Community Cultivator, with her job’s goal being making member life here at the office even better.  She makes it a point to get to know each member so she can carve out specific events that speak straight to members, or even just foster helpful conversations between members who may not have known one another.  It’s a unique job description, and Alexandra takes to it like a fish to water.  Within her first month here at the office, she’d already worked on building a member wall, hosted a new member lunch, and planned out a fall family night for our members with little-’uns. When she’s not hard at work on member life here at ON, she’s usually found geeking around with her many bikes, telling jokes, and babysitting for some very lucky Seattle families.  Oh, and going to school in preparation to fulfill her career dreams of being a math teacher.  Phew!  We are incredibly lucky to have her on board. DOUBLE WIN!

Jacob and I consider this a huge step in Office Nomads’ growth.  We want to ensure that this space is set up to run smoothly for years and years to come. By hiring on new additions to our team, we have been forced to start actually writing things down like procedures and ideas that have been bouncing around in our heads for the first two years.  So the value is twofold: we have an incredible team to help us make Office Nomads an even better coworking space, AND we are able to grow our business to the next level by mapping out key parts of the space that haven’t been captured before.

Eric and Alexandra, we are incredibly humbled and appreciative of your time and efforts here at the office.  You guys are rockstars!

Well, it’s official.  The New York Times loves coworking. They’ve taken notice at least twice since Office Nomads has opened, and those are just the articles that we’ve picked up on.  So I wasn’t very surprised when yet another article came across my desk this morning  – “Losing the Income, but Also the Camaraderie.” A quick excerpt:

Working from home, I lack not only the third-place socializing I used to enjoy with my congenial coworkers, but I also miss out on the basic human contact that usually comes standard in a second place…The lack of human interaction — aside from the one-on-one kind I share with my husband in the evenings — is starting to take its toll. In addition to the loneliness, I’m finding it harder to maintain a sense of perspective, and humor, about my life, and when I am finally in a group situation, I feel out of practice and like the shy kid I used to be.

In an effort to create a better balance for myself, I’ve tried taking my laptop to Starbucks. I know from its marketing materials that it seeks to be a third place, but I’ve found that no matter how many people are sitting there drinking coffee and tapping away at their computers, the experience is essentially solitary. With little wit, laughter or lively, engaging conversation among regulars — and no free coffee — it bears little resemblance to my ex-office…

More than five million people have been laid off in the United States since December 2007, so I know I’m not alone. While that makes me no less lonely, it does suggest that there are hordes of people out there who, like me, have suffered from a double loss: their income, as well a place that provided a special form of social nourishment.

Third Places, community, camaraderie – author Catherine Bergart has got the language down.  I’m thinking that I should e-mail her directly about our Pink Slip Special and see if that gets her to come out and work with us for a month from Seattle.  Ms. Bergart’s conclusion at the end of her piece to seek out a coworking space is a spectacular example of how coworking is becoming not only more mainstream, but a truly new way of defining how we will work in the future.

Ms. Bergart says it well – “more than five million people have been laid off in the United States since December 2007, so I know I’m not alone.” I’d add, many of those people have decided that instead of traditional employment, they would start their own small businesses. How are these nomadic workers being served? It only seems natural that coworking has evolved in response.

Thanks, as usual, NYT. We’re so glad you love coworking as much as we do.

Have an iPhone? Looking for a way to keep Office Nomads (or at least a water cooler) with you at all times? Thanks to our very own Ryan Salva, principal of Capitol Media and stalwart Office Nomads member, now you can. Out of the blue, he created the following excellent wallpaper for you iPhone. Download and bask in its gloriousness!

The other night, I was walking back to my desk here at Office Nomads. It was a bit after 6 pm–later than I usually work–and the office was mostly empty except for a one or two other people. As I passed through the main room I glanced over at three pods of desks that fill the area there and was struck by how lived in they all looked. Office Nomads, I realized, has become a home office of a different breed.

The first time I came in here, way back in November 2007, it was just a day or two after Jacob and Susan opened the space for the first time. The space then was huge and empty. Clumps of desks were gathered around the few electric outlets and network drops while the front desk was just another able in a tangle of wires. There were no couches.

See. No couches

The other night though, as I walked through it, the space looked and felt lived in, and I mean that in the best of ways. Those of us who spend our days here have made it our own. Desks, which now share the space with couches, tables and shelving, are filled with decorations and work tools. People have their own favorite desk chairs and for some reason, one chair is adorned with a sideways smiley face. In short, we’ve all become so comfortable here and with each other that an office–something that is generally thought of as a sterile environment–has become a home for us all in a relatively short amount of time.

Interestingly, I think this means that the physical manifestation of the coworker’s desire not to work from home is fast becoming a new breed of home office.

Like most of the rest of the nation yesterday, the Office Nomads community celebrated the inauguration of President Barack Obama. (I still like writing that.) As we did on election night, we invited our extended communities to share this historic moment together. After all, as Jacob said through tears the night Obama won, the kind of change President Obama is leading us toward is the kind that starts with small groups of people, “and that’s exactly what we have here: a community.”

When I walked in, shortly before 9 am our time, there was a crowd of about 30 people gathered in the cafe space in the back of the office watching the proceedings and celebrating with mimosas, donuts and various breakfast noshes. I hurried out of my bike clothes, not wanting to miss the moment and made it out in time to sit at the front of the group to watch the swearing in followed by his speech. Looking out over the relatively small group around me, I was struck by how tightly knit it was. On one couch was Gabriel cuddled with his wife Jill. On the L-shaped leather couch, a crowd of Nomads sat near each other, sharing the moment. On the floor at the foot of the TV was Piper who has done some design work with Jacob and Susan–and her four-year old daughter, sharing an occasion that will likely change the world her daughter will grow up in.

It was the warmest moment I’d had in a long time.

For much of the rest of the day, there was a sense of excitement and optimism in the office. A group of people I don’t know camped out on the floor of the kitchen and held an impromptu meeting. I’m not sure what it was about, but it sounded like a new venture with some social change aspect to it. Throughout the day, various Nomads plopped down in front of the TV to watch the parade or the news and chat about it all. Connections were formed and strengthened as the festivities in Washington. D.C carried on and I think President Obama would have been pleased to see it all. Those of us in the coworking movement, those of us who are independent workers and entreprenuers, we are a huige part of the change that America is going to go through, and I think President Obama recognizes that. It was a thrill to celebrate for him, and with him, yesterday with such a strong and positive community.